Collapsible crate



zmsmso J. P. KUBES COLLAPSIBLE CRATE Filed NOV. 21, 1952 INVENTOR. 70% Zfi'u Z65.

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Patented Apr. 21, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COLLAP SIBLE CRATE John P. Kubes, Cleveland, Ohio,

assignor to Application November 21, 1932, Serial No. 643,559

2 Claims.

This invention relates to crates for the shipment of produce, such as fruit and vegetables, and more particularly, to a collapsible crate of this type.

In crates which are intended for the packing and shipping of produce, it is necessary to provide a structure which can be shipped hat to the growing point and which can then be quickly and easily set up in container-form in the field or at the packing house. Containers which are shipped in the form of a flat mat are much used but require to be folded and secured by twisting the ends of binding wires or otherwise fastening the crate into shape. Crates have also been devised in which the binding means always remain in fastening position, but permit the crate to be collapsed for shipment to the growing point. However, no satisfactory crate has been devised of the wire-bound type in which the binding wires remain tied at all times and require no attention from the packers and which is also capable of being collapsed into flattened form.

It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a crate which is bound when ment of the empty containers. Another object of the invention is to provide a collapsible crate having new and improved means permitting the same to be permanently bound by fastening means. To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a crate embodying the invention, the same being shown with the cover removed; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the crate in the collapsed condition; Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a corner of the crate in the opened position; Fig. 4 is a corresponding plan view of a corner of the crate in the folded position; Fig. 5 is a perspective View of mating ends of cleats going to make up the crate; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of other ends of such cleats; Fig. 7 is a vertical section through a portion of the crate showing the bottom in place; and Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the top cover of the crate.

Referring to the drawing, side walls 9 consist of slats I l fastened to cleats l2 at top and bottom.

made but which can be readily flattened for ship- The cleats have a tongue I3 at one end and a groove I! at the other end, the tongue of one cleat interfitting with the groove of another cleat to form the corner of the crate, as is well known. If this construction were employed at all four corners of a rectangular crate and the crates were then securely bound together by means of binding wires, it would not be possible to compress the crate to the folded position shown in Fig. 2 since the wires, if tight enough to bind the tongue and groove joints together, would not permit adjoining cleats to fold together. In the present construction, the cleats l2 are slotted as at I5, the slots being cut parallel to the upper or lower sides of the cleats and running back into the body of the cleat somewhat farther than the tongues I3 or grooves I4 extend.

The slots are preferably centrally disposed between the upper and lower sides of the cleat and only one end of each cleat will be thus slotted. In the construction of the crate, cleats are placed together with a tongue and groove mating and with slotted ends adjacent, the result being that corners l6 and ll of the crate will be provided with slotted cleat ends and corners l8 and I9 will not be slotted. The same construction is provided for both the top and bottom cleats.

As the crate is made up at the factory, a binding wire 2| is stitched along the outside of the crate in line with the cleats by means of staples 22. A similar binding wire 23 encircles the bottom of the crate in line with the bottom cleats and a third binding wire 24 encircles the middle of the crate, if necessary. In the present construction, this binding wire or other fastening means encircling the crate, will be tied at the factory by twisting the ends 25. It is intended that this fastening shall be relatively permanent requiring no further attention from the user of the crate. If it be assumed that wires are drawn tightly enough to hold the tongue and groove joints of the cleats securely together, and this would obviously be necessary in order to provide a securely bound container, then it would not be possible to collapse such a crate by inward pressure on the corners l8 and I9 as indicated by the arrows in the drawing. This follows from the nature of the joint at the corners of the crate as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 where it may be seen that the distance around the. ends of the cleats increases when the crate is folded due to the fact that the cleats are sprung out into approximately side-by-side position. Thus a binding wire which was not intended to be unfastened would prevent collapsing the crate if tight enough to bind the same in open form and would not hold the crate together properly if made loose enough to accommodate the cleat ends when folded.

In the present construction, this difliculty is overcome by providing the slots I5 in such of the cleats as go to make up two opposite corners of the crate. As seen in Fig. 3, the binding wire 2| runs in the channel thus provided by the. slots in two interfitting cleats, the slats ll being cut away as at 26 to uncover the slots. No slots are necessary at the alternate corners l8 and I9 since these corners straighten out when the crate is flattened. By thus providing a slotted channel for the reception of the binding wire, it is not necessary for the wire to be long enough to pass around the ends of the cleats in the folded position and, at the same time, the crate is securely held in the open position.

It will be seen from Fig. 4 of the drawing that the wire need only be. long enough to span the width of two cleats, in the folded position, and that the longest circuit around the box is now found in the open position instead of in the folded position. As a consequence, the Wire may be made long enough to hold the box tightly in the open position and any excess occurring when the box is folded is of no consequence since the flattened container does not require to be tightly bound in such position.

In use, the crate which is shipped in the folded position, is expanded by inward pressure on the corners l6 and l! and a bottom 21 is inserted and pressed down to rest on the lower cleats l2. The bottom serves to maintain the crate in the open shape during packing. When packing is completed, a top cover 28 is nailed or otherwise fastened to the crate. This top is provided with a strip 29 extending slightly beyond two sides of the cover to provide handles for the loaded crate and also provides alternative fastening means, as by attaching loops of wire around the slats H and slipping these over the projecting ends of the strip 29.

The present container is intended, as stated above, for use at the growing point and is readily set up for packing by merely pressing in on the corners l5 and H of the crate and then inserting the bottom 21. Packing then proceeds, the cover 28 is fastened on and the loaded crate is ready for shipment. If the crate is to be used again, it can be readily collapsed by removing the bottom and pressing in on the corners I8 and I9 whereupon the top cover and the bottom are placed inside the flattened walls and the crate may be shipped again to a packing point. No time is lost in twisting the ends of binding wires together or in otherwise preparing the crate for packing, this being a consideration due to the time involved and the inconvenience of performing such operations in the field where the crop is packed.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. A collapsible crate comprising side Walls having cleats, said cleats defining the top and bottom of said crate, interfitting tongues and grooves on the ends of said cleats, slots through and extending inward of and parallel to the tongues and grooves of such cleats as form two opposite corners of said crate, and binding means encircling said crate when collapsed and when expanded and lying in said slots. Y

2. A collapsible crate comprising side walls having cleats, said cleats defining the top and bottom of said crate, interfitting tongues and grooves on the ends of said sleats, slots in the ends of such cleats as form two opposite corners of said crate, said slots being cut into said cleats parallel to the mutually movable tongue and groove surface thereof and extending into the cleats beyond said tongues or grooves, and binding means permanently encircling said crate, the surfaces defining said slots being movable with respect to the portions of said binding means therein.

JOHN P. KUBES. 

